Japanese Insularity / Western Encroachment

Oxx wrote:

Trebell wrote:It was interesting to read of Nippon Ichi saying they are focusing on the PS3. They don't seem to have heard of the 360.

It's as if many Japanese companies are happy to be big players in Japan but totally ignore the Western market and thus ignore some great revenue opportunities at the same time.

I don't know about that.

A lot of Japanese publishers are depending on western sales to make make their money back. Even something as explicitly Japanese as Tatsunoko vs Capcom has done better in the US than Japan.

I wouldn't be surprised if western sales of FFXIII eclipse the Japanese numbers.

Capcom saw the writing on the wall and now they seem to make nothing but big, ballsy action games with western protagonists.

True that some have but seems lots haven't.

having said that, plenty of Western devs seem to focus on their own market too. Maybe it's a case of sticking to what they know.

It's not like the western charts are full of outwardly Japanese games either. Maybe there's a reason why Okami and Shenmue failed?

At this point Japanese companies are used to producing games with protagonists and an aesthetic that appeals to western tastes. They have been doing it since the 80s. Link, Mario, the Resident Evil cast, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest etc.

I don't think the bald space marine type plays that well with Japanese tastes.

Trebell wrote:It was interesting to read of Nippon Ichi saying they are focusing on the PS3. They don't seem to have heard of the 360.

It's as if many Japanese companies are happy to be big players in Japan but totally ignore the Western market and thus ignore some great revenue opportunities at the same time.

It's not quite that easy though is it. Japanese developers tried the RPG route with XBOX360 and it failed...being as RPG's are one of the biggest genres in Japan developing new RPG's for a small userbase has now become untenable because it's been so unsuccessful. The big mistake was to develop RPG's for a system not really well suited for it i.e. the genre really isn't big news on XBOX360...action games are...that's where most of it's dollars are made.

Basically confidence in Japan, to develop anything for a western audience, is low because too many mistakes have been made. RPG's is one example but then you have Konami releasing a western developed Silent Hill and Capcom releasing a western developed Bionic Commando and both seem to have done little to inspire confidence in western developed far east games.

There is no synergy between the territories. The Japanese prefer the finer details whereas western developers just like bigger and better. It's like indie v hollywood. Only when you have a common interest in a subject matter, such as cars, will it ever really work.

About that...Sony Liverpool. I don't really care Studio Liverpool is being restructured because I'd much prefer the new GT to another Wipeout or any other UK based Sony developed game...or, in fact, a game from any other developer. Basically it really doesn't affect me. I still get what I want.

HOWEVER, it seems to me there is a clear distinction between Sony Japan, Sony Europe and Sony America i.e. they all have fields of specialisation and if that means a UK studio closes because Sony Europe..or more precisely Sony in the UK...design and develop technology rather than games than so be it.

That's the bigger picture. People will moan because a heart-felt studio is downsizing/closing but, in reality, it's because the brains behind Sony's gaming future resides in the UK. We all know the UK has some of the greatest and most creative talent, we also know that Sony invest an incredible amount of money in to UK talent. Let that be the pinnacle of our gaming future...a unique and technologically progressive identity in the industry for years to come.

It's not just Sony either...I mean look at NATAL, a new technology not developed in the UK but software pioneered by a UK development studio is pushing the system to it's creative/technical limits.

cooldawn wrote:

Trebell wrote:It was interesting to read of Nippon Ichi saying they are focusing on the PS3. They don't seem to have heard of the 360.

It's as if many Japanese companies are happy to be big players in Japan but totally ignore the Western market and thus ignore some great revenue opportunities at the same time.

It's not quite that easy though is it. Japanese developers tried the RPG route with XBOX360 and it failed...being as RPG's are one of the biggest genres in Japan developing new RPG's for a small userbase has now become untenable because it's been so unsuccessful. The big mistake was to develop RPG's for a system not really well suited for it i.e. the genre really isn't big news on XBOX360...action games are...that's where most of it's dollars are made.

Except some of the biggest games on the system have been RPG's Dawn. Mass Effect, Obilivion, Fallout 3. even quality JRPG's in LO and Blue Dragon did well.

I think they failed as poor quality ones were pushed onto it.

Yeah of the examples you cited, that was Japanese companies working with developers of low quality. Nintendo didn't suffer from working with Retro.

Trebell wrote:Except some of the biggest games on the system have been RPG's Dawn. Mass Effect, Obilivion, Fallout 3. even quality JRPG's in LO and Blue Dragon did well.

I think they failed as poor quality ones were pushed onto it.

OK...I got my sub-genre's a little wrong. I mean JRPG's. Games like Mass Effect, Oblivion or Fallout 3 are designed and developed in the west to appeal to a western audience in the same way JRPG's are geared towards the Japanese market. There is a clear difference between the two in presentation and gameplay...one is a hardcore RPG and the other is an action RPG.

Most of the time it's absolutely bonkers looking at Japanese sales charts. I mean train simulators, horse racing simulators, girls game etc... all represent a higher penetration than western developed RPG's, or in fact most western developed games.

I've already spoke about in detail how poor JRPG's have performed on XBOX360 in the west...it's all in the original Final Fantasy XIII thread in gamesradar if you remember...but, conversely lets look at Mass Effect in Japan.

Week 1 = P3 - 17,000
Week 2 = P29 - no actual figure but at that position probably around 5,000 at most
Week 3 = not in the charts

Right now Mass Effect 2 isn't out in Japan.

That's just one example of how western developed action RPG's haven't made any impact on the Japanese market.

Winckle wrote:Yeah of the examples you cited, that was Japanese companies working with developers of low quality. Nintendo didn't suffer from working with Retro.

Yep, that's the way it has been going/is still going. It's part of the problem and doesn't inspire confidence either way.

MGS4 had a western influenced FP view but it didn't work. I mean who here who played MGS4 played in FP? The problem wasn't only because the mechanic didn't really feel as natural as a genuine FPS but MGS didn't really feel like MGS in FP. So even when the west influences eastern development it doesn't always work.